Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Ta Ta For Now Expensive Gym Membership: How Quitting the Gym Can Actually be a GOOD Thing

So, as some of you know, I quit the gym at the beginning of the month in order to save money—a whole $65 a month to be exact. And now 30 days later that day has come; today is my very last day of using the lovely gym facility. So of course I’m going to use it up to the very fullest. I’ll take advantage of all the equipment, use every little weight I can get my hands on, prance around ‘til I touch every cardio machine, and of course soak up some relaxation in the steam room at the end of my workout.

To be completely honest, the steam room and laundry services are what I’m going to miss most. The rest I can do on my own. Really, I’m not the least bit upset. No, I’m not nervous I’m going to gain weight or become one of those people who’d rather watch TV and eat a box of pizza than get some exercise. I already have a healthy lifestyle engrained into me, so I know—gym or no gym—nothing is going to change. I’ll still find a way to energize, challenge and move my body in order to feel my ultimate best.

Anyway, back to my plan: My goal is to become more of a “runner.” My dad’s a runner, my cousins are all runners, but running really never was my thing. I used to dread the mile run in gym class when I was younger, and I once started to cry on a 5K with my dad when I realized we weren’t even half way. However, lately things have all changed. I’ve suddenly began to enjoy how wonderful it feels to move my feet and take my body as far or as short I want to take it. Instead of cringing when I’m only two miles in, I give myself a mental pat on the back and feel inspired to keep going. Suddenly, I feel as thought I could run forever, like something finally snapped and said “this girl is meant to run.”

OK, enough of the deep stuff. I’m mostly excited to become a runner because it's FREE; I’m going to use the money I would have spent on my gym membership (yup, that $65 a month that I mentioned before) to sign up for races a few times a month instead. This way I’m still getting my exercise and doing my body good, but also am putting the money toward a good cause. As some of you know, my grandmother (who was by far the kindest, loving person in the world) was taken by cancer a few months ago. This makes me want to run for her, and every other person our there who didn’t (and doesn’t) deserve to lose their life over such an awful disease. I’m planning on signing up for a few 5K’s this fall to “race for the cure” and help raise money to find away so these terrible things don’t happen anymore. And I encourage others out there to do the same. After all, every little bit counts and each one of us really can make a difference.

So off I go. Bye-bye gym membership (well, after I totally use it up this evening) and hello runner girl!

2 comments:

So sorry to hear about your grandmother. I'm sure she'd be so proud of you for running for her.

I too recently stopped my gym membership to become a runner and I'm starting slowly with some 5Ks. I have to admit, it's HARD. But you're right, at the end of a run or somewhere in between you get this sense of pride and feel on top of the world. Then, it's totally worth it.

Thanks for the response Maria! I know it's definitely going to be a challenge, but also every so rewarding. Sometimes during a run I'm like "why am I doing this?" then at the end it's all worth it. There's nothing like the feeling after a nice, long run. When did you start running? Have you noticed any changes in your body? When my cousin started running, her legs got super strong and she lost some weight in her stomach too! I'm just so excited to change it up and try out an exercise I once avoided like I do cheeseburgers haha...

About Me

I am a 25 year old "Healthy Chick" living in the lovely city of Boston.
I hold an extreme passion for health, researching the newest trends and best fitness tips daily.
I’m obsessed with studying food, living by the Italian's mantra: enjoy what you eat, every last bite, but also be aware of what you're putting inside your mouth. After all, food should be something to savor, not fear and that's exactly why I chose to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
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